Fire extinguishing apparatus



June 27, 1944. H. E. BRALOFF FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS 'Fiied May 2,- 1942' ill/r V INVENTOR. XQV 2 BY ATTORNEY Patented June 27, 1944 Eurl -jorrlce FIRE EXTINGUISHING'APPARATUS' Henry E. Bralofl, Rockville Centre, N. Y. t I

This invention relates generally to fire extinguishin'gapparatus and is more particularly directed to a device for;extin guishing incendiary bombs and blazing fragments thereof, by the use of sand or'a similar granular or pulverized material. Whilemyinvention' is primarily directed to the provision of a device for discharging sand or the like for extinguishingjfire, as the description proceeds 'it'will become manifest that it is susceptible oi numerousother applications in dispensing'granul'aror pulverized material, for various purposes, 'all of which, I would have it understood, are deemed to come within the scope of my invention, as defined by the appended claims.

It is recognized that sand or a similar granular or ulverized material is the most efiicient agent for extinguishingincendiary bombs of the magnesium and' other types, commonlyused in Wall? fare, as currentlypracticed, the usual method that is followed in' combatting the bomb being to throw the. sand'upon the blazing bomb or bomb fragments by means of a shovel, spade or other suitable. implement. For this purpose, thecivilian defense authorities recommend that pails 'ofsand and the necessary shovel or the like, be kept availablefor immediate use by the civil population, to combat the potential fire hazard that is presented by the incendiary bombs and their fragmentation. However, because of the unsightlir'iess of'the sand pails and shovels, it is found that they are usually relegated to some out-of-way placefor storage, as in the basement or cellar ofa building, so that considerable delay may ensue ingetting them to the point where they areto be empl'oyedin extinguishinga fire bomb. Further,thebulkinessand weight of the sand-laden pail, combined. with that of'the essential shovel or spade-,'inmany instances, may also contributeto delay in combatting a blazing bcmb, by retarding the progress of the person carrying themto'the location of the bomb.

Therefore, it is the primary object of this inmtion to providea simple and economical container for a supply of sand or similar material,

which maybe readily maintained at or carried to the point where it is to be used and the sand or other granular fire extinguishing agent dis'- charged or emptied" there'from upon the blazing bomb or bomb. fragment v a concentrated stream.

to provide a fire-extinguishing device, as'aforesaid, which will not only-conserve the use of the Application May 2, 1942, Serial No. 441,423 2 Claims. (01. 169-35) extinguishing agent, but permit of the attainment' of greaterefficiency smothering a blazing or smoldering incendiary bomb, my devicemakf ing it possible to direct a concentrated stream or the granular material upon'the' blaze with ex pedition and in a manner to cut off theblazesustaining supply of oxygen and quickly render the bomb harmless. 1

Another object of this invention is to provide a fire-extinguishing device having the foregoing characteristics and advantageabwhich may readily handled and requires a, minimum 'of space for storage, so that it may be kept at hand' for immediate use, as in upright position in a convenient closet, or, if desired, by hanging it on a wall or the like by means of a bracket attached to the main body portion thereof. This makes it possible to distribute a number of extinguishers.

about the premises, instead of having the'fire extinguishing agent concentrated in one place, in one or more pails, as'iscustomary, because of the bulkand unsightliness of the pails. f

.It is also an object of my'invention to provide a method of producing a container of fibrous ma terial from which sand or similar granular material may be dispensed, whereby the possibility of the packing of the material within the con.-''.

trainer with aresulting interruption of thefiovv therefrom will be entirely eliminated, so that the material will issue from the container in a constant concentrated stream until the supply is exhausted.

My invention also contemplates a container which may be variously produced and employed; in dispensing granular or pulverized material other than sand, where a steady and concentrated discharge of the material may be requisite or desirable. 1

Other objects andadvantages flowing from the" practicing of my-inve'ntion-will become manifest v as the description 'proceeds'and I would have it understood thatI reserveunto myself. all rights to the full range of equivalentsjboth in struc-jture and avenues of use, to which I may be entitled under this disclosure.v j"

In the accompanying drawing,"I have il1us-- trated a preferred embodiment of my invention,

as itmay be utilized as a portable'fire exting guisher sand gun'whioh my 'device maybe, termed, sincefit the fire-extinguishing. agent forms and be" applied to inbefore' pointed out.

permits of accurately directing upon the blazing obijegctive. Obviously, my invention may take other" other purposes, as hereinder of the sand gun and 8 the outlet-forming cylinder or nozzle of the gun, the diameter of which is less than that of the main cylinder. The

nozzle-forming cylinder or tube is concentrically.

mounted in the main cylinder or body-portion by means of the telescoping sleeves 9 and H), the sleeve 9, as will be noted, preferably terminating in registration with the end la. of said body-portion, as at 9a, while the sleeve l0, telescoped into the sleeve 9, projects beyond the end of said main cylinderin engagement with the periphery of the outlet-forming cylinder 8 entered therein, as indicated at Illa, for the reason which will become apparent.

The diameterof each of the sleeves 9 and I0 and of the nozzle-forming cylinder 8 provides for their telescopic assemblywith the body-portion or main cylinder 1, as described, the tolerance between the opposed surfaces thereof insuring a tight fit that prevents'their dislocation under load, so that the assembly possesses all of the attributes of a unitary structure.

In the assembly of the sleeves 9 and I0 and the nozzle-forming cylinder 8 within the body-portion 1, the-inner ends of the sleeves and the nozzle 8 are'relatively spaced, so as to reduce the diameter of the passage from the body-portion to the nozzle cylinder in graduated steps, the ends of said sleeves and of said nozzle-forming cylinder forming ledges or shoulder 91), I01) and 8b, respectively. These shoulders or ledges serve to create a turbulence as the sand impinges thereupon in its tortuous mass movement ,in conforming contact with the defining walls of the passage, to produce the effect of a spillway in diverting the sand into the section of the passage of next smaller diameter and prevent packing of the mass and interruption of its movement through the device to the discharge end of the nozzle cylinder 8, as would result in a gun in which the reduction of the diameter of the outlet were obtained by an elongated tapering of conical wall formation. Manifestly, this turbulence results in a speeding up of the rate of movement within the mass in its central zone or core, as the thickness of the moving column of granular material is progressively diminished. to enter the nozzleforming cylinder and issue therefrom in a steady stream, as the device is held in inverted position at the appropriate angle to direct the granular material upon the blazing objective, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawing. 7

By extending the sleeve it) beyond the contiguous end of the body-portion. 1,.in surrounding engagement with the outlet-fo-rming'cylinder 8, the latter is reinforced in that area thereof which, otherwise, might be susceptible to bending or distort on under load, as'the column of sand traverses the portion of the elongated nozzlecylinder which protrudes beyond the end of the body-portion of the device. r

The restricted discharge or outlet end of the nozzle cylinder 8 is sealed by a plug l I, while the sealed by plug l2.

Tiff.

enlarged loading end of the main cylinder 1 is The respective plugs I! and i2 here shown as separable from the gun may be connected thereto by a chain or other displaceable means (not shown) to prevent their loss when removed from sealing position.

The gun is preferably loaded at its enlarged main cylinder end and when so loaded and sealed is adapted to be maintained in storage position by resting vertically upright on plug l2 as a base, although the gun may, if desired, be supported in any angular position as, for example, at the angle shown in Figure 2 of the draw ng, by providing a bracket assembly on the periphery of the main cylinder (not shown) for separable connection with a wall support.

The gun may be made of any suitable material, as metal, plastic, fibre-board or the like and the internal shoulder or ledges may be formed by telescoping tubes, as herein described,'or other- W se, as in a roll windingcasting or spinning operation. However, in order to provide an economical device and permit of rapid production and the extensive distribution that is essential, especially under wart me conditions, I prefer to fabricate my gun of a readily obtainable spiral wound fibrous material comprising sheet paper known to the trade as chip board.

In practicing the method which I utilize for the purpose, the chip board is preferably spirally wound upon suitable mandrels to produce lengths of laminated tubing of the required diameters, the tubing of the appropriate diameters being then cut in the lengths necessary for forming the main and outlet cylinders and the two sleeves, after which the sleeves and outlet-forming cylinder are assembled within one end of the main cylinder 1, as heretofore described, under pressure applied longitudinally thereof, the outer circumference of each of the entered sections being approximately the same as the inner circumference of the section into which it is telescoped, so as to provide for the frictional engagement of the opposed surfaces in a degree which will render them inseparable without encompassing their destruction. Of course, if desired, an adhesive may be applied to the opposed surfaces but the inherent resiliency of the laminated material which renders it possible to force-fit one tube within another, makes it unnecessary.

As will beevident, a cardboard gun, produced according to my method, is l ght in weight, possesses the required strength and may be refilled time and again, if required. Since chip board is an inflammable material, it is desirable to protect the nozzle-forming cylinder 8 against possible ignition by accidental contact with the flames emanating from a bomb or the like, 01' by the heat generated thereby, and to this end it maybe treated with a fireproofing material, or the nozzle may be provided with a protective sleeve or collar of asbestos or other fire-resistant composition, as indicated at IS in Figure 2 of the drawing, the collar, preferably, embodying a flange which will overlie and cover the end of the cylinder wall, as at l5a.

From the foregoing, it will be manifest that 1 have provided a simple and eflicient container for dispensing granular material, together with a method of producing the same, which makes it possible to provide a fire extinguisher which is especially responsive to the demand for a medium for combatting incendiary bombs, that may be effectively handled by those unskilled in firefighting and may be economically produced so as to insure the wide distribution that is essential under wartime conditions.

I claim:

1. A device for dispensing granular material comprising a main cylinder, an outlet-forming cylinder of lesser diameter and a plurality of sleeves telescoped into one end of said main cylinder, one of said sleeves projecting outwardly of said main cylinder, said outlet-forming cylinder being telescopically entered in sad latter sleeve, the inner ends of said sleeves and said outletforming cylinder providing a series of shoulders within said main cylinder, adjacent the outlet end thereof, relatively spaced to define a passage between said main cylinder and said outlet-forming cylinder having sections of difierent diameters, the diameters progressively decreasing toward the outlet-forming cylinder.

2. A device for dispensing granular material comprising a cylindrical body-portion, a concentricfextension at one end of said body-portion of lesser diameter forming a nozzle for said device andmeans for progressively decreasing the diameter; of the passage from said body-portion to said extension in a series of relatively spaced boreconforming surfaces, each interposing an impediment to the movement of the granular material in massed conformation with the preceding boreconforming surface of larger diameter to generate a movement within the mass and overcome the inertia forces of the compacted material to obtain an interrupted columnar discharge of the material from said nozzle.

HENRY E. BRALOFF. 

